Red Rocks Amphitheatre: The World's Most Beautiful Concert Venue

Neil Young is our favorite rock artist. On August 5, 2012, we saw him in concert him with Crazy Horse at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. It was a spectacular show, one of the best concerts that we have seen and part of the reason for that was the venue. We had seats near the middle of the amphitheater for that show, but as luck would have it, we had the opportunity to see Neil Young and Promise of the Real at Red Rocks three years later on July 8, 2015.

The second time we had second-row seats! We worried about the weather all day. It does not rain much in Colorado, but it did that day. By the time the concert began, the hard rain had turned into an off-and-on light drizzle, which only added to the aura, and there IS a distinctive atmosphere at Red Rocks. Words are inadequate to describe how great that show was; it moved to number one on our all-time favorite concert, and it is still there.

If you can see a concert at Red Rocks, seize the opportunity.

Arrive early, so you can walk around and take in the scenery. Even without music playing on the stage, Red Rocks is a major attraction.

Located fifteen miles west of Denver, Colorado, near the town of Morrison, Red Rocks Amphitheater is a geologically formed natural amphitheater that has been hailed by both performers and music fans as one of the best venues for live music in the world. The venue is famous throughout the world for its natural beauty and near perfect acoustics. Geddy Lee of Rush said this about the beauty of Red Rocks: “It’s an amazing location. One of the most beautiful concert venues in America or anywhere. I would hazard a guess that it’s one of the most beautiful anywhere.”

Red Rocks Amphitheater is a favorite tour stop for rock bands, dating back to August 26, 1964, when the Beatles played there. Six dollars and sixty cents would have bought a ticket, and no one paid more than that because the concert did not sell out!

Jimi Hendrix and Vanilla Fudge played Red Rocks on September 1, 1968. “I had a lot of fun at that Denver, Colorado, place. That was groovy,” Hendrix said after the show. That was the only time he played Red Rocks and there are no known photos or recordings.

Rock concerts were banned from Red Rocks for five years when a riot broke out at Jethro Tull concert on June 10th, 1971. Tear gas on the stage shut down Livingston Taylor, the opening act, before he was finished with his performance. Fights, tear gas, rock throwing, hundreds of angry fans who couldn’t get tickets for the show show, and two hundred cops attempting to restore order prompted Ian Anderson to scream to the crowd “Welcome to World War Three” after the band's first song.

Bruce Springsteen played his first Red Rocks show on June 20, 1978. He was hesitant about booking the venue because he did not like playing outdoors. He was sold on the venue when he was told that it was like performing “indoors without a roof.” When he took the stage he said, “Nice place you got here . . . bunch of big rocks!"

The amphitheater was also a favorite venue for the Grateful Dead during their glory days. Subsequent jam bands have followed the tradition and almost always include it on their tour schedules, often playing multi-night engagements. Widespread Panic has played 36 shows (35 as headliners), a Red Rocks record.

U2 played Red Rocks on June 5, 1983. The performance was recorded and released as the ground-breaking full concert-length video Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky. Two tracks from the show were included on U-2′s 1983 live album, Under a Blood Red Sky. Better advertising for the amphitheater could not have been bought at any price. Many artists have chosen to release recordings from live shows at Red Rocks.

The design of the amphitheater is a product of slow earth movements that pushed up two giant sandstone ledges (Ship Rock and Creation Rock) from the prehistoric ocean floor 250 million years ago.

These huge rocks lie on opposite sides of the seating area. A large, tilted rock lies behind the stage, and a huge vertical rock is to the right of the stage. To the left of the stage, several large boulders angle outwards. The seating area holds 9,450 people.

The history of live music at Red Rocks Amphitheater dates back more than one hundred years when it was still known as “Garden of Angels.”

The owner at the time, John Brisben Walker, who once owned Cosmopolitan Magazine, opened the natural amphitheater in 1906 as “Garden of the Titans.” The first performing act was Pietro Satriano and his 25-piece brass band. Walker produced shows there until 1910.

Walker was wealthy, but his vision for the land exceeded his reach. To make his dream a reality, he coaxed the City of Denver into purchasing the park. The purchase price in 1927 was $54,133. The labor and materials were provided by Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Works Projects Administration. Burnham Hoyt, a Denver architect, was contracted to design the amphitheater. Hoyt was instructed to preserve and accent the natural beauty of the environment. The project was completed in 1941.

Most visitors are surprised to see dozens, if not hundreds, of Coloradoans exercising at Red Rocks.

The stairs and benches of the amphitheater form the most beautiful workout center in the world, and it is free. This is something that has to be seen to be appreciated.

The amphitheater is part of the 818-acre Red Rocks Park, which is open to the public. Guided tours of Red Rocks Amphitheater are offered at 10 am every day of the week.

Sign up for the tour inside Red Rocks Visitor Center. The tour highlights both the history and science behind Red Rocks Park. A favorite exhibit is the “Performers Hall of Fame” display where every performer who has played Red Rocks is listed.

The Trading Post Loop is a hiking trail that will take you through almost a mile and a half of rock formations and other rugged terrain; it is so rugged that you should allow yourself two hours to walk the entire loop. The trail, at an elevation of 6,280 feet, might not be suitable for those with certain medical conditions. For everybody else, proper footwear, preferably hiking boots, is recommended. Most first-time visitors are surprised to learn that the trail is less than 30 inches wide in most places.

Red Rocks Amphitheater and Park opens an hour before sunrise and closes an hour after sunset, unless a show is scheduled that night. If you have a ticket for the show, you can stay until the show starts.

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Neil Young and Promise of the Real at Red Rocks. Click the Facebook icon to see all of the photos.